Julia Weber
Staff Writer
Arts leader Kate D. Levin brings a wealth of knowledge regarding community-building in the arts to a week aptly themed “Art in Action: Building Community Through the Arts.” Levin, who oversees the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts program, will deliver the morning lecture at 10:45 a.m. today in the Amphitheater.
At Bloomberg Philanthropies, Levin supports a range of arts organizations and activities in the United States and abroad. The program supports arts organizations in a range of ways, including through building capacity for small and mid-sized institutions, enhancing visitor engagement through digital technology, and facilitating collaborations between artists and local governments to address civic issues, according to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ website.
Levin served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs from 2002 to 2013 where she managed the largest single-funder of the arts in the country. In this position, Levin increased both program and capital support for cultural organizations, expanded creative sector participation in many areas of economic development and education, and oversaw the city’s public art commissioning program.
Levin said she intends to share her perspective on the strengths and common misperceptions of the creative sector, in the United States and will share examples of projects supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies that have successfully met this week’s theme of building community through the arts.
She is particularly interested in exploring Bloomberg Philanthropies’ capacity to support “creative excellence” because the organization believes that “culture can have transformative impacts on our communities,” she said.
To Levin, the importance of the arts cannot be overstated.
“The arts play an essential role in the identity, economy and quality of life in communities that support them,” she said. “I hope to generate even more focus, resolve and enthusiasm for securing the future of this sector.”
Levin said there are numerous challenges facing the arts, but she will focus on what she views as some “fundamental misalignments” between the perception of the arts sector and its actuality. Despite these challenges, Levin sees endless opportunities for the arts to build “social cohesion” and “to inspire, educate and enthrall people from all communities,” she wrote.
When asked what she hoped audience members would take away from her lecture, Levin said that she hoped Chautauquans would leave with new ideas about the positioning of artists in society and how individuals can support culture in order to broaden community engagement.
“I hope my session will be eye opening, stimulating, and provide a call to action for anyone who cares about the sector, which clearly this audience does,” Levin said.
